Character Tendency in Demon's Souls and Demon's Souls Remake is a special mechanic similar to player alignment in D&D. Demon's Souls Character Tendency determines the propensity of the player to do good deeds (white tendency) or bad deeds (black tendency). This results in special events becoming available to the player as the game progresses.
Character Tendency is specific for your character. Demon's Souls also features World Tendency, which is affected by the world. Each tendency acts on its own and doesn't rely on the other one.
- Playing the game normally without facing many invaders will allow you to reach Pure White Character Tendency by endgame if you have killed all the NPC phantoms. Make sure you get the Ally's Ring from the Monumental at the nexus when you reach it.
- The best time to become Pure Black if you don't like that playstyle is when you are near endgame and ready to go to New Game Plus. Get your Black Character Tendency, do the Mephistopheles Quest, and then move to the next cycle
- Character and World Tendency will not reset in New Game Plus
Demon's Souls Character Tendency
What is Character Tendency in Demon's Souls?
The world of Demon's Souls has an absolute morality system that gives players a specific alignment: toward Black Tendency (Evil) or white tendency (Good). Not to be confused with World Tendency, the Character Tendency mechanic is specific to the player and the actions of the character throughout your playthrough. If you help other players and vanquish evil from the world, you will become purer and your tendency will become White. If you kill NPCs and invade other players as an evil phantom, you will become darker and your tendency will become Black.
What are the effects of Character Tendency in Demon's Souls?
Character Tendency has unique ramifications that allow the player to meet specific NPCs and obtain special quests. Your Character Tendency Also affects the weapons Demonbrandt, Soulbrandt and Northern Regalia.
Listed below are the various events or changes that can trigger for the player's character in both White and Black World Tendency
Character Tendency |
CT Events/Changes |
|
White CT | > 90% |
|
>50% |
|
|
Black CT | < -50% |
|
< -90% |
|
Changing Character Tendency
Towards White
Defeat Black phantom that invaded (Kill a Player Black Phantom in your world or other world).
Defeat Unique Named NPC Black Phantoms which appear only with Pure Black World Tendency. This applies only to these five unique "named" NPC Black Phantoms (Miralda, Scirvir, Rydyell, Satsuki, and Selen). There are other Black Phantoms which won't adjust your character tendency (tested after Patch 1.04) such as the two BPs in the Crystal Gecko nest tunnel in Armor Spider Archstone or the three BPs that appear just beyond the Penetrator's hall Penetrator Archstone. Killing Black Phantoms Ostrava, of Boletaria and Garl Vinland will also not adjust your character tendency, even though they are named.
- Gates of Boletaria - Defeat Black Phantom - Executioner Miralda (Note: you need to deliver the final killing blow. Don't let her fall to her death in the stairwell)
- The Tunnel City - Defeat Black Phantom - Scirvir, the Wanderer
- Prison of Hope - Defeat Black Phantom - Lord Rydell
- The Ivory Tower - Defeat Old Monk in Online Mode (counts as Black Phantom PK)
- Island's Edge - Defeat Black Phantom - Satsuki
- Swamp of Sorrows - Defeat Black Phantom - Selen Vinland (Note: don't kill her with Soulsucker or there will be no effect in Character Tendency - verified by meng-huo from GameFAQs forum)
Note: Killing these 5 Black Phantom NPC in certain manner (details uncertain) will not trigger the shift in Character Tendency. Here are some tested examples:
- Killing Black Phantom Selen Vinland with Soulsucker.
- Let Black Phantom Executioner Miralda fall to her death in the stairwell. (A blast from Rage of God or fighting in the stair well may cause this)
- Let Black Phantom Scirvir, the Wanderer fall to his death
- Killing any Black Phantom exclusively with Poison Cloud seems to prevent the shift in character tendency. (I tested this with Rydell and Scirvir, with update 1.04 installed. -StefanieTN)
- Possibly bugged: Summoned as a Blue Phantom, get yourself killed before defeating the Demon Boss.
Towards Black
- Kill harmless NPC.
- Invade as a Black Phantom, kill host.
- Note that if the host dies to anything other than your damage (environmental damage, enemies, fall damage, self-damage from Magic Sword Makoto, Hiltless, or Cursed Weapon) it will not lower your CT.
Here's a list of relatively harmless (won't hurt your game if dead) NPCs that you can kill to shift the character tendency.
(Note: please add to it from time to time.)
- Gates of Boletaria, The Lord's Path, Inner Ward - Dregling Merchant
- Smithing Grounds, The Tunnel City - Filthy Man
- Prison of Hope - Once Royal Mistress
- Island's Edge, The Ritual Path - Graverobber Blige
- Depraved Chasm, Swamp of Sorrows - Filthy Woman
- The Nexus, Gates of Boletaria, The Lord's Path, Inner Ward - Ostrava, of Boletaria (body form)
- The Nexus, The Lord's Path, Inner Ward, The King's Tower - Biorr, of the Twin Fangs
- Nexus: Blue Phantom NPC (If you don't speak to him, he'll remain in the Nexus for the duration of the game, or until you kill him.)
- Killing four or five (depending on World Tendency) will take you from Pure White to Pure Black.
Notes:
Killing the following Named Black Phantom NPCs has no impact (either way) on Character Tendency (both confirmed).
- The King's Tower - Black Phantom Ostrava, of Boletaria (He appears during any world tendency.)
- Rotting Haven - Black Phantom Garl Vinland (He appears only during Pure White world tendency.)
CT Character Parameters
Character Tendency in Demon's Souls also influences your stats as a Black Phantom and in Soul Form. Listed in the table below, you'll find the following parameters that will influence the various stats for both Black and White World Tendency.
Character Type |
WT Category |
Max. HP Multiplier |
Physical Attack Multiplier |
Magical Attack Multiplier |
Fire Attack Multiplier |
Souls Gained From Multiplier |
Black Phantom Player | Black < -50% | 1.00 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.00 |
Black < -90% | 1.00 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.00 | |
Phantom Player | White > 90% | 1.00 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.00 |
White > 50% | 1.00 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.00 | |
Soul Form | White > 75% | 1.0 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.00 |
White > 50% | 1.00 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.10 | 1.00 | |
Black < -50% | 0.95 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | |
Black < -90% | 0.90 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Character Tendency Effect on Weapons
Apart from affecting the parameters of the player's character, it also affects certain weapons in the game, depending on the spiritual standing of your character. Later in the game, you can find three Weapons that can be used to measure your CT, and these weapons are the Demonbrandt, Soulbrandt, and the Northern Regalia. These weapons can grant bonuses that are based on your current CT. You'll see the bonus values of the mentioned weapons that are listed in the table below.
Weapon Name | Base Value | Bonus Attacks based on CT from Pure Black (-100%) to Pure White (+100%) | ||||||||||
-100% | -80% | -60% | -40% | -20% | 0% | +20% | +40% | +60% | +80% | +100% | ||
Demonbrandt | PhyAtk +130 | -130 | -104 | -78 | -52 | -26 | 0 | +26 | +52 | +78 | +104 | +130 |
MagAtk +110 | -110 | -88 | -66 | -44 | -22 | 0 | +22 | +44 | +66 | +88 | +110 | |
Soulbrandt | PhyAtk +120 | +120 | +96 | +72 | +48 | +24 | 0 | -24 | -48 | -72 | -96 | -120 |
MagAtk +130 | +130 | +104 | +78 | +52 | +26 | 0 | -26 | -52 | -78 | -104 | -130 | |
Northern Regalia | PhyAtk +135 | +135 | +108 | +81 | +54 | +27 | 0 | +27 | +54 | +81 | +108 | +135 |
MagAtk +135 | +135 | +108 | +81 | +54 | +27 | 0 | +24 | +54 | +81 | +108 | +135 |
- Anonymous
09 Jan 2021 22:58
they should have made it so helping witb a boss increases white ct since its the opposote of invasions
- Anonymous
07 Jan 2021 23:04
Can you get invaded by a friend and kill them for pwct? I'm nearly there for the platinum trophie! I need the friends ring.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
31 Dec 2020 14:34
The link to Soulbrandt in the "What are the effects of Character Tendency in Demon's Souls?" does not work. There is a 'd' where is should not be.
- Anonymous
31 Dec 2020 08:39
anyone wanna farm trophies with me add my psn: DON-DEEPZZZ
lets help each other change our character tendency faster
- Anonymous
30 Dec 2020 22:56
For anyone who is wondering it took me I believe 8 invasions to go from pure white CT to pure black CT.
- Anonymous
27 Dec 2020 17:28
For reference, I didn't do anything towards black tendency in this playthrough. I believe I killed one invading player and 3 of the world black phantoms (rydell, miralda & satsuki). I'm at pure white now and just got the ring, so I believe it takes 4 black phantom kills from neutral.
- Anonymous
26 Dec 2020 22:58
Would be nice if the wiki had pictures of what the different levels of CT look like in game menu.
- Anonymous
26 Dec 2020 17:24
I finished this game one time and I still have some trophies to get. If you are trying to get the platinum trophy also, please add me and we can try together. PSN ID: KATSUKAWAAA
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
25 Dec 2020 07:00
Does killing someone as the Old Monk boss affect character tendency towards the black?
- Anonymous
24 Dec 2020 04:31
I'm a bit confused on how character tendency works.
I have a character on NG+2, and the character tendency icon has not changed appearance at all, unlike the world tendency (which I am able to manipulate from glowing golden to black with red dots). Does character tendency not change its appearance in the same way?
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
22 Dec 2020 18:07
I believe everyone asking for help is out of luck. The latest patch disabled password matchmaking for invasions, so you can no longer invaded or get invaded specifically to shift Character Tendency.
So now what is the best way to achieve PWCT at the endgame of a playthrough, if one does not mange to get there with simply killing Phantom NPCs?
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
15 Dec 2020 09:18
teowolf1986
Hi, i need some help to go to pure white character tendency, ill help back or ill drop the item u need, plese, contact me: teowolf1986 (ill play from 20.10 to 21.00 and from 23.00 to 24.00 Rome Time) Ty (soul level 111)
Ciao, mi serve aiuto per portare la tendenza del personaggio a bianco puro, aiuto volentieri a fare lo stesso o droppo qualsiasi oggetto abbiate bisogno, se potete contattatemi: teowolf1986 (gioco dalle 20.10 alle 21.00 e dalle 23.00 alle 24.00 Rome Time) Grazie (soul level 111)
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
14 Dec 2020 11:44
Hi, i need some help to go to pure white character tendency, ill help back or ill drop the item u need, plese, contact me: teowolf1986 (ill play from 20.10 to 21.00 and from 23.00 to 24.00 Rome Time) Ty
Ciao, mi serve aiuto per portare la tendenza del personaggio a bianco puro, aiuto volentieri a fare lo stesso o droppo qualsiasi oggetto abbiate bisogno, se potete contattatemi: teowolf1986 (gioco dalle 20.10 alle 21.00 e dalle 23.00 alle 24.00 Rome Time) Grazie
14 Dec 2020 05:07
Hello. I am trying to get plat and is very close. I need someone to invade me a few times so i can pure white character tendency. If anyone can help write a privat message. I also need someone to summon me so i can kill a demon (Or what i need to do to get the trophy) and let me invade you once. I will offer some of my gear if you can help with all 3 things.
Write to my PSN
SIRTIMM13.
Thanks alot!
- Anonymous
12 Jan 2021 23:55
Need help getting PWCT (SL80). Can drop all rings + a bunch of souls + help farm for covenant items in DS3, and drop all weapons needed for the Knight's Honor trophy in DS: Remastered, in exchange for help.
PSN: ITehJelleh
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